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Harry James

Harry James

Actor, Music Department, Composer

Born March 15, 1916 in Albany, Georgia, USA

Died July 5, 1983

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Biography

Harry James was born in a rundown hotel next to the city jail in Albany, Georgia. His mother and father were members of a circus - she as a trapeze artist and he a band leader - with the Mighty Haag Circus. At seven, they settled in Beaumont, Texas where Harry learned yo play drums. By twelve, he was playing trumpet in the Christy Brothers circus band. In 1936 James joined Ben Pollack's band, soon leaving to lead the brass section of Benny Goodman's band. He even once applied to Lawrence Welk's band but was turned down because they said he played too loud and it was not Welk's style. After three years with Goodman, he wanted to leave, and with Goodman's backing, he formed the Music Makers. In 1943 he married pinup queen Betty Grable, his second of four wives. He had earlier married and divorced Louise Tobin, a singer. Grable kept appearing in movies and Harry kept playing while they raised horses. He made his debut in Philadelphia at the Ben Franklin Hotel and soon was a nationwide favorite of dance lovers and jazz addicts, rocking the rafters at the Hollywood Paladium, Chicago's famous College Inn at the Hotel Sherman, Frank Dailey's Meadowbrook in Cedar Cove, NJ, and then onto New York City. It was the Lincoln Hotel in NYC that the Music Makers called home, but James also starred at the Paramount Theater in the spring of 1943, with thousands of teenagers flocking to see him. His version of You Made Me Love You was a big hit and a favorite of many through the war years. James was a great discoverer of talent, finding Frank Sinatra working as a waiter in a New Jersey restaurant and giving him a job singing in his band. Dick Haymes, Kitty Kallen, Connie Haines and Helen Forrest can all thank James for giving them their first real break. In 1963 his band was featured at Disneyland, still known as the Music Makers. He played his last gig at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles on June 26, 1983, just a few days before dying of lymphatic cancer.

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Filmography

Actor

72

Type

Year

Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia Poster

Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia TV Series2023Self - Band Leader

Frank Sinatra: One More for the Road Poster

Frank Sinatra: One More for the Road Feature Film2019Self

My Music: Starlight Ballroom Poster

My Music: Starlight Ballroom TV Movie2015Self

Sinatra: All or Nothing at All Poster

Sinatra: All or Nothing at All Mini-Series2015Self

Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me Poster

Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me Documentary2009Self

My Music: The Big Band Years TV Movie2009Self

That's Entertainment! III Poster

That's Entertainment! III Documentary1994Performer in Performer in Clip from 'Best Foot Forward'

The Sting II Poster

The Sting II Feature Film1983Band Leader

Showbiz Goes to War Poster

Showbiz Goes to War Documentary1982

Hollywood at War: A Compilation of War Time Shorts Documentary1980Self

The First 40 Years TV Special1980Self

John Denver and Friend Poster

John Denver and Friend TV Special1976Self

That's Entertainment, Part II Poster

That's Entertainment, Part II Documentary1976Clip from 'Hollywood Party'

Bicentennial Minutes Poster

Bicentennial Minutes TV Series1974Self - Narrator

Happy Days TV Series1970Harry James

The Joey Bishop Show Poster

The Joey Bishop Show TV Series1967Self

Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon Poster

Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon TV Series1966Self

The Hollywood Palace Poster

The Hollywood Palace TV Series1964Self

The Jerry Lewis Show Poster

The Jerry Lewis Show TV Series1963Self

The Merv Griffin Show Poster

The Merv Griffin Show TV Series1962Self

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Poster

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson TV Series1962Self - Guest

The Ladies Man Poster

The Ladies Man Feature Film1961Harry James

The Mike Douglas Show Poster

The Mike Douglas Show TV Series1961Self - Bandleader

The Best of the Post Poster

The Best of the Post TV Series1960Self

Some of Manie's Friends Poster

Some of Manie's Friends TV Movie1959Self

The 30th Annual Academy Awards Poster

The 30th Annual Academy Awards TV Special1958Self

The Big Beat Poster

The Big Beat Feature Film1958Harry James

The Donna Reed Show Poster

The Donna Reed Show TV Series1958Trumpet Player

Outlaw Queen Poster

Outlaw Queen Feature Film1957Rick Mason

The Big Record Poster

The Big Record TV Series1957Self

The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour Poster

The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour TV Series1957Harry James

The Benny Goodman Story Poster

The Benny Goodman Story Feature Film1956Harry James - Trumpeter at Carnegie Hall

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show Poster

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show TV Series1956Self

The Opposite Sex Poster

The Opposite Sex Feature Film1956Harry James

Screen Snapshots Series 34, No. 6: Hollywood Shower of Stars Short Film1955Self

Leave It to Harry Short Film1954Self

Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Stars on Parade Documentary1954Self

Shower of Stars Poster

Shower of Stars TV Series1954Self

Harry James and His Music Makers Short Film1953Self

How to Marry a Millionaire Poster

How to Marry a Millionaire Feature Film1953Radio Trumpeter

The Danny Thomas Show Poster

The Danny Thomas Show TV Series1953Larry Norman

Chance of a Lifetime Poster

Chance of a Lifetime TV Series1952Self

The Bob Hope Show Poster

The Bob Hope Show TV Series1952Self

The Jackie Gleason Show Poster

The Jackie Gleason Show TV Series1952Self - Guest Trumpeteer

This Is Your Life Poster

This Is Your Life TV Series1952Self

The Name's the Same Poster

The Name's the Same TV Series1951Self - Guest Star

Cavalcade of Bands TV Series1950Self

I'll Get By Poster

I'll Get By Feature Film1950Harry James

Moments in Music Poster

Moments in Music Short Film1950Hary James: edited from: Sweet and Lovely

Star of the Family Poster

Star of the Family TV Series1950Self

The Jackpot Poster

The Jackpot Feature Film1950Harry James

What's My Line? Poster

What's My Line? TV Series1950Self - Mystery Guest

On Our Merry Way Poster

On Our Merry Way Feature Film1948Harry James

The Ed Sullivan Show Poster

The Ed Sullivan Show TV Series1948Self

The Milton Berle Show Poster

The Milton Berle Show TV Series1948Self - Trumpeter

Carnegie Hall Poster

Carnegie Hall Feature Film1947Harry James

Do You Love Me Poster

Do You Love Me Feature Film1946Barry Clayton

Hollywood Park Short Film1946Self

If I'm Lucky Poster

If I'm Lucky Feature Film1946Earl Gordon

The All-Star Bond Rally Poster

The All-Star Bond Rally Short Film1945Self

Bathing Beauty Poster

Bathing Beauty Feature Film1944Harry James

The Road to Victory Poster

The Road to Victory Short Film1944Harry James

The Shining Future Poster

The Shining Future Short Film1944Harry James

Two Girls and a Sailor Poster

Two Girls and a Sailor Feature Film1944Harry James

Best Foot Forward Poster

Best Foot Forward Feature Film1943Harry James

Swing Fever Poster

Swing Fever Feature Film1943Harry James

Private Buckaroo Poster

Private Buckaroo Feature Film1942Harry James

Springtime in the Rockies Poster

Springtime in the Rockies Feature Film1942Harry James

Syncopation Poster

Syncopation Feature Film1942Harry James

Trumpet Serenade Short Film1942Self

Too Many Girls Poster

Too Many Girls Feature Film1940Orchestra leader

Hollywood Hotel Poster

Hollywood Hotel Feature Film1937Benny Goodman Trumpeter

Music Department

3

My Dog Skip Poster

My Dog Skip Feature Film2000

Young Man with a Horn Poster

Young Man with a Horn Feature Film1950

Private Buckaroo Poster

Private Buckaroo Feature Film1942

Composer

1

Bully the Kid Short Film2005

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